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Ballad Assignment

On the front of the poster place the lyrics and visual aspects of the poem.

Literal Meaning of the ballad:

The literal meaning of Richard Cory, written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, was about Richard Cory a gentlemen who was very wealthy. People always stared at Richard when he would walk downtown. Everyone wished they could be like Richard, but one day Richard went home and killed himself.

3 examples of imagery from the ballad and how imagery contribute to the literal meaning of the ballad:

– And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head. (Line 15-16)

This line shows imagery to where Richard Cory put a gun to his head and shot himself. People hadn’t recognized him for himself without the value he had.

Clean favored, and imperially slim. (Line 4)

Everyone saw Richard Cory to be well presented and from his looks could ensure that he was a very wealthy man by the way he dressed.

– But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked. (Line 7-8)

This imagery indicates that by fluttering pulses, he knew he wasn’t acting right and was nervous. No one could tell that he was nervous as he talked to people when he walked.

2 examples of the Lyric qualities (onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme, rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, cacophony, euphony) and how they contribute to the literal meaning of the ballad:

– And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

(Quatrain Rhyme Scheme example above):

– The quatrain rhyme scheme contributes to the literal meaning of the ballad because it adds emphasis at the end of the sentences representing the overall point in the paragraphs.

– So on we worked, and waited for the light. (Line 13)

(Alliteration):

– The alliteration in this sentence shows how everyone noticed Richard Cory but could not see the pain he was going through.

3 examples of the figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy, synecdoche, oxymoron, paradox) and how they contribute to the literal meaning of the ballad:

– He was a gentleman from sole to crown (Line 3)

(Synecdoche):

Where the crown is representing royalty together. It’s saying that Richard Cory was so presentable that he could be seen as apart of the royal family.

– And he was rich — yes, richer than a king — (Line 9)

(Synecdoche):

The King represents the value that Richard Cory is seen as. The value that a king has because king’s are percieved to be very luxurious and own very expensive items.

– So on we worked, and waited for the light, (Line 13)

The light represents the time in which they waited for Richard Cory to recognize him, but in reality they didn’t realize he needed attention because of the way he was feeling, in isolation.

Theme of the ballad:

– There are a few different things that come to mind when thinking about the theme of this ballad. First off, you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover in saying that Richard Cory was an apparent wealthy man, but you could not realize the struggles he was having.
– Secondly, that money cannot buy you happiness as Richard Cory was a very wealthy man but ended up killing himself due to his own struggles in life.